'One-off' prostate cancer test backed

15th September 2010

Scientists say that a single blood test for all 60-year-old men could pick out the vast majority of those likely to die from prostate cancer.

A study published in the British Medical Journal said that testing just once at 60 could reveal men who need no further checks, though some doctors oppose regular screening, saying it leads to too many men having unnecessary treatment. The Prostate Cancer Charity said the idea was interesting but felt that more work would be needed to confirm the results of this early study.